Latest Cholesterol Related News
Cholesterol News From Medical News Today
- 'Tredaptive'® (Nicotinic Acid/Laropiprant) Authorised In The European Union: New Lipid-Modifying Therapy To Treat LDL-C, HDL-C And Triglycerides
Wednesday July 23, 2008 Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited (MSD) announced recently that 'Tredaptive' (nicotinic acid/laropiprant) 1000 mg/20 mg modified-release tablets, a new lipid-modifying therapy for patients with dyslipidaemia and primary hypercholesterolaemia, has been authorised for marketing in the 27 member countries of the European Union (EU) and Iceland and Norway.1 'Tredaptive' combines nicotinic acid (niacin) and laropiprant, a novel flushing pathway inhibitor.
- Results From The SEAS (Simvastatin And Ezetimibe In Aortic Stenosis) Study
Tuesday July 22, 2008 The SEAS (Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis) study has investigated the effects of intensive cholesterol lowering with the combination of simvastatin (40 mg daily) and ezetimibe (10 mg daily) in patients with aortic stenosis. Aortic stenosis (which involves partial blockage of the aortic valve in the heart) is a relatively common disease among older people in Western populations. Left untreated, it can progress to death from heart failure or cardiac arrest.
- Independent Analyses Of The SEAS, SHARP And IMPROVE-IT Studies Of Statin Ezetimibe
Tuesday July 22, 2008 The University of Oxford Clinical Trial Service Unit and Epidemiological Studies Unit (CTSU) proposed that the hypothesis-generating results of the SEAS trial of ezetimibe should be tested by reviewing the combined cancer results from the SHARP and IMPROVE-IT trials of ezetimibe, and reporting on the overall findings to the relevant regulatory authorities, independently of the drug manufacturers.
- VAP Cholesterol Test Helps Reveal Association Between Adiponectin Levels And Atherosclerosis
Tuesday July 22, 2008 Using the VAP Cholesterol Test from Atherotech, researchers have identified a link between adiponectin and heart disease progression. The information could help physicians trying to pinpoint the most effective cholesterol and heart disease risk-lowering treatments in at-risk patients.
- Mitochondrial Cholesterol Makes Response To Chemotherapy Difficult In Hepatic Cancer
Tuesday July 15, 2008 Cancer is a disease characterized by important metabolic alterations. Not only do these adaptative changes give higher proliferative capacity to cancer cells, but they also contribute to higher resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. The research group led by Dr.
- Potential Health Risk Posed By 'Healthy' Sterols
Tuesday July 15, 2008 Plant sterols have been touted as an effective way to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. However, a research study in the July JLR has uncovered that these compounds do have their own risks, as they can accumulate in heart valves and lead to stenosis. Aortic valve stenosis (AS) results from cholesterol accumulation in the valve between the left ventricle and aorta; this impedes the flow of blood and puts extra pressure on the heart.
- TREDAPTIVETM (Nicotinic Acid /Laropiprant) Approved In The European Union: New Lipid-Modifying Therapy To Treat LDL-C, HDL-C And Triglycerides
Monday July 14, 2008 Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) announced that TREDAPTIVE? (nicotinic acid/laropiprant, MSD) 1 g/20 mg modified-release tablets, a new lipid-modifying therapy for patients with dyslipidemia and primary hypercholesterolemia, has been approved for marketing in the European Union (EU), Iceland and Norway. TREDAPTIVE combines nicotinic acid (niacin) and laropiprant, a novel flushing pathway inhibitor.
- Patients More Likely To Stay On Lipitor Than Simvastatin, A Large Observational Study Shows
Wednesday July 9, 2008 Pfizer announced that new statin users who took Lipitor® (atorvastatin calcium) were significantly more likely to stay on their medication compared to those who took simvastatin, according to an observational study of more than 186,000 patients in one of the largest U.S. managed care claims databases. The results were published in the July issue of Current Medical Research and Opinion.
- Fish Oil And Red Yeast Rice Studied For Lowering Blood Cholesterol
Wednesday July 9, 2008 A great deal of scientific evidence shows that cholesterol-reducing medications known as statins can help prevent coronary artery disease. Although the safety of these medications has been well documented, as many as 40 percent of patients who receive a prescription for statins take the drug for less than one year.
- New AAP Policy On Lipid Screening And Heart Health In Children
Tuesday July 8, 2008 The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new cholesterol screening and treatment recommendations for children. The policy statement, "Lipid Screening and Cardiovascular Health in Childhood," recommends cholesterol screening of children and adolescents with a family history of high cholesterol or heart disease. It also recommends screening patients whose family history is unknown or those who have other factors for heart disease including obesity, high blood pressure or diabetes.
- Tip Of The Week - 'Cholesterol'- Not All Bad
Tuesday July 8, 2008 More and more people are aware of 'cholesterol' and how it increases the risk of heart disease. Some even know their cholesterol levels and may be controlling them through diet and lifestyle changes or with medication. Cholesterol is made in the liver and too much can cause arteries to fur up, but not all cholesterol is bad.
- Low "Good" HDL Cholesterol Linked To Memory Decline
Thursday July 3, 2008 A new study from the UK suggests that low levels of the "good" HDL cholesterol is linked to poor memory, and decline in memory, in middle aged adults. The study is the work of researchers at University College, London, and is published in the 30th June issue of the Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology journal of the American Heart Association.
- New Research Shows That Artichoke Leaf Extract Lowers Cholesterol
Thursday July 3, 2008 Researchers at the University of Reading have found that an over-the-counter Artichoke Leaf Extract (ALE) from the globe artichoke plant can lower cholesterol in otherwise healthy individuals with moderately raised levels. Cardiovascular diseases are the chief causes of death in the UK, and are associated with raised circulating levels of total cholesterol in the plasma. Once plasma cholesterol reaches a certain level, drugs such as statins are often prescribed to help reduce it.
- Memory Loss, Dementia Risk And Low Levels Of Good Cholesterol Linked
Tuesday July 1, 2008 Low levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) - the "good" cholesterol - in middle age may increase the risk of memory loss and lead to dementia later in life, researchers reported in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association. Observing 3,673 participants (26.8 percent women) from the Whitehall II study, researchers found that falling levels of HDL cholesterol were predictors of declining memory by age 60.
- Alzheimer's Society Comment On The Link Between High Density Lipoprotein And Dementia
Tuesday July 1, 2008 One of the functions of High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) is to transport cholesterol from the arteries back to the liver to be degraded. It is clearly important to have enough of this transporter available. This study shows that if there is not enough High Density Lipoprotein to transport cholesterol and other lipids around the body, it can not only increase your risk of heart disease but also affect your memory and may increase your risk of getting Alzheimer's disease.
- Prebiotic Potential Of Almonds
Saturday June 28, 2008 Almonds, as well as being high in vitamin E and other minerals, are also thought to have other health benefits, such as reducing cholesterol. Recently published work by the Institute of Food Research has identified potential prebiotic properties of almonds that could help improve our digestive health by increasing levels of beneficial gut bacteria. Our digestive system maintains large population of bacteria that live in the colon.
- Spending On Cholesterol Reducing Statins More Than Doubles In Just Five Years, USA
Wednesday June 25, 2008 Spending on statins, drugs used to reduce artery-clogging cholesterol, increased 156 percent between 2000 and 2005, according to the latest News and Numbers from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Statins can reduce a person's risk of heart attack or stroke by lowering "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides, another fatty substance in the blood, and raising "good" cholesterol levels.
- Pfizer And Ranbaxy Settle Lipitor Patent Litigation Worldwide
Monday June 23, 2008 Pfizer Inc announced that it has entered into an agreement with generics manufacturer Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. of India and certain of its affiliates to settle substantially all their patent litigation worldwide involving Lipitor, the world's most-prescribed cholesterol-lowering medicine. Under the terms of the agreement, Ranbaxy will have a license to sell generic versions of Lipitor and Caduet in the United States effective November 30, 2011.
- Published Study Reveals Next Pharmaceuticals' Flavoxine? Reduces Multiple Heart Health Risk Factors Including High Cholesterol
Sunday June 22, 2008 Next Pharmaceuticals announced the results of their placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind clinical trial, which revealed multiple heart health benefits of Flavoxine. The published study concluded that Flavoxine significantly reduced LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides, while it significantly decreased blood pressure and fasting blood glucose.
- Gene Variation May Be Responsible For Lack Of Response By Some To Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs
Wednesday June 18, 2008 A variation in the way the body processes a single protein may explain why some people don't respond well to drugs that lower "bad" cholesterol, according to a report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. The gene variation, called alternative splicing, explained 9 percent of the drugs' decreased power to reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in study participants compared to people with the standard processing pathway.
- Metabolex Completes Patient Enrollment In Phase 2 Trial Of MBX-8025 For Treatment Of Dyslipidemia
Tuesday June 17, 2008 Metabolex, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of proprietary new medicines for the treatment of metabolic diseases, announced that it has completed enrollment in a 180-patient Phase 2 trial of MBX-8025 in overweight or obese patients with high cholesterol and triglycerides.
- Unexpected Finding Of Molecule's Dual Role In Mice May Open New Avenue To Cholesterol Reduction
Saturday June 14, 2008 Researchers have discovered an unknown regulator of fat and cholesterol production in the liver of mice, a significant finding that could lead to new therapies for lowering unhealthy blood levels of cholesterol and fats.
- Incyte's Selective Oral Inhibitor Of 11beta-HSD1 Demonstrates Improvements In Insulin Sensitivity And Lowers Cholesterol Levels In Type 2 Diabetics
Wednesday June 11, 2008 Incyte Corporation (Nasdaq:INCY) announced clinical results presented today at the American Diabetes Association 68th Scientific Sessions of its Phase IIa trial of INCB13739, an orally bioavailable inhibitor of the 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1) enzyme. These results showed that 28 days of treatment with INCB13739 significantly improved hepatic insulin sensitivity and decreased plasma LDL- and total-cholesterol levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.
- PanGenex (PGXC) Introduces LIPIDEME? To Lower Cholesterol Naturally And Increase Cardiovascular Health
Monday June 9, 2008 PanGenex Corporation (Pink Sheets: PGXC) announces the product launch of LIPIDEME?, an all-natural nutraceutical formulated with scientifically proven ingredients and the first product on the market to combine the triglyceride-lowering power of Omega-3 fatty acids with the cholesterol lowering ability of phytosterols and tocotrienols - plus the free-radical fighting capacity of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Dr. Eric J.
- Niacin's Role In Maintaining Good Cholesterol
Saturday June 7, 2008 A research team has uncovered the likely target of niacin (vitamin B3) in the liver, which should provide a clearer picture of how this vitamin helps maintain adequate HDL-cholesterol levels in the blood and thus lower the risk of heart disease. While niacin can increase plasma HDL levels, the mechanism of how it works has been mysterious, although it's believed that niacin does not actually increase HDL production.